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Volcanic eruption forces closure of five airports in Indonesia

Continued eruptions at Mount Raung in East Java has forced the authorities to shut down five airports in Indonesia, after volcanic ash disrupted many flights between Bali and Australia for a second day. Flight cancellations have since stranded thousands of traveler.

Increased activity was first detected at the volcano on June 24, 2015. The volcano began to eject volcanic matter on June 29, creating an ash cloud that led to warnings being issued to residents within a 3-km radius of the caldera, and flight disruptions in and out of Bali.

The five airports that are currently closed are:

Denpasar International Airport in Bali (Ngurah Rai International Airport)

The International Airport in Lombok

Selaparang Airport (Lombo)

Blimbingsari Airport in Banyuwangi (Java)

Notohadinegoro Airport (Jember, East Java)

Mt. Raung
The 3,333-meter volcano, one of Indonesia’s most active volcanoes, is a massive stratovolcano located in the province of East Java, and has a 2-km-wide and 500-metre-deep caldera. Ruang is about 140km northwest of Bali’s Denpasar airport.

Continued Eruptions

Local Volcanologists say the ash eruptions could last for several weeks, possibly longer. In that case tens of thousands of residents in East Java and neighboring islands may have to be evacuated. [See also earlier blog entries on Impact of Indonesian volcanic eruption s on Singapore.]

Volcanology of Java

Made up almost entirely of volcanic eruptions, the island of Java contains dozens of volcanoes including at least 45 that are considered to be “active” volcanoes.

Volcanic ash from Mt. Raung forces flight cancellation to and from Bali

Eruptions at Mt. Raung have prompted the authorities to raise the volcanic alert from Level 2 to Level 3. The volcano has been ejecting volcanic matter into the air since Sunday, said the Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation Center (PVMBG).

Increased activity was detected at the volcano on June 24, 2015. The volcano began to eject volcanic matter on June 29, creating an ash cloud that led to warnings being issued to residents within a 3-km radius of the caldera, and flight disruptions in and out of Bali.

“The Jember Disaster Mitigation Agency (BPBD) in East Java said on Monday that the 3,333-meter Mount Raung had discharged molten lava on Sunday evening, confirming the authorities’ recent decision to increase the volcano’s alert status, said a report.

More than 2,000 residents in “two districts in Bondowoso lie within Mt. Raung’s potentially Disaster Prone Area (KRB),” and may have to be evacuated in the event of a major eruption.

Mt. Raung
The 3,333-meter volcano, one of Indonesia’s most active volcanoes, is a massive stratovolcano located in the province of East Java, and has a 2-km-wide and 500-metre-deep caldera.

Ruang is about 140km northwest of Bali’s Denpasar airport.

Volcanology of Java

Made up almost entirely of volcanic eruptions, the island of Java contains dozens of volcanoes including at least 45 that are considered to be “active” volcanoes.

Military plane crashes in Medan, Indonesia, killing scores of people

All 113 people on board an Indonesian military transport plane that crashed Tuesday in a major city on the Indonesian island of Sumatra are believed to have been killed, according to the country’s air force chief.

The Hercules C-130 crashed into two houses and a hotel before bursting into flames in a residential area of Medan city [metro pop: ~ 5 million,] according to the chief.

The number of casualties on the ground has not yet been established.

Medan is the capital of the North Sumatra province, and is the fourth largest city in Indonesia.

Mandala Airlines Flight 091

On 5 September 2005, Mandala Airlines Flight 091 crashed into a populated area of Medan shortly after take-off from the city’s airport, killing 149, including 49 people on the ground. Additionally, some of the 17 people on board the plane who survived the crash, and 26 others on the ground who were injured, are believed to have since died as a result of their injuries.

UPDATED

The volume of lava in Mt. Sinabung’s crater has increased to more than 3 million cubic meters and the volcano is in unstable condition, reported PVMBG.

Up to 3,000 residents living within a 7-km radius of Mt. Sinabung, to the south and southeast of the volcano, have been evacuated according to the Volcanology and Geological Disaster Mitigation Center (PVMBG).

Mt. Sinabung’s alert level was raised to the highest level “AWAS,” last week.

The volcano has been ejecting large plumes of volcanic matter since last week, and observers have reported pyroclastic flows cascading down the sides of the mountain.

The 2,460-m high volcano, created by the subduction of the Indo-Australian Plate under the Eurasian Plate, is located in the Karo plateau of Karo Regency, North Sumatra, about 40km from the Lake Toba supervolcano.

Sinabung has four volcanic craters, but only one of them is active currently.

Approximate location of Sinabung is marked on the map by FEWW. Mount Sinabung is one of Indonesia’s 130 active volcanoes

Meantime, activity continues at Mt. Karangetang, which is located in the district of Sitaro, North Sulawesi, forcing the evacuation of 339 people (106 families).

The “twin-peaked” Mt Karangetang (“Api Siau”), also one of the most active volcanoes in Indonesia, is located on the north side of Siau Island [pop: 43,000] North Sulawesi, in the Celebes Sea.

About 200 million Indonesians, or more than thee-quarters of the population, live within 100-km radius of one or more volcanoes that have become restive at least once during the past 100 years, according to researchers.

M7.5 quake rattles New Ireland Region

Centered at 4.760°S, 152.556°E the quake occurred at a depth of depth of 40.0 km, USGE/EHP reported.

Tsunami Evaluation
Based on the preliminary earthquake parameters, hazardous tsunami waves are possible for coasts located within 1,000 km of the earthquake epicenter, said PTWC in its initial evaluation.

The hazard regions include Papua New Guinea (PNG) and Solomon Islands.

Outbreak of dengue fever kills dozens across 38 areas in East Java

Authorities in East Java have declared a state of emergency [“an extraordinary situation (KLB) status”] due to an outbreak of dengue fever, which has sickened at least 1,054 people, killing 25 across 38 regencies and cities, said a report.

The state of emergency covers 11 regions in the province including the regencies of Jombang, Banyuwangi, Probolinggo, Kediri, Sumenep, Pamekasan, Nganjuk, Trenggalek, Mojokerto and Madiun as well as Madiun city, said the report.

“Data from the provincial administration show that most cases of dengue fever in the province were recorded in January or December. Of the more than 26,000 cases of dengue fever in 2010, for example, some 5,500 occurred in January,” the report said.

“Similarly, of the nearly 5,500 cases in 2011, more than 1,000 occurred in January, while of the more than 8,000 cases recorded in 2012, more than 1,000 occurred in December.”

East Java, Indonesia’s second most populated province [pop: ~ 40million,] is located on eastern part of island of Java, covering an area of 47,800 km², which is administratively divided into 29 regencies and 9 cities.

Global Impact: Up to 100 million infections reported annually

The incidences of dengue fever infection continue growing globally, especially since 2009, putting at least half of the world’s population at risk.

“In the past few years, there has been a very significant increase of dengue fever infection in tropical areas such as Asia, Africa, and Latin America, including Brazil, which constitutes a tremendous public health challenge. It is estimated that 2 to 5 billion people are under risk of acquiring the infection worldwide, with 50 to 100 million infections reported annually, and approximately 500,000 hospital admissions. Death numbers associated with dengue are difficult to estimate,” said a report.

This 2006 photograph depicts a female Aedes aegypti mosquito as she acquires a blood meal from her human host, the biomedical photographer, James Gathany, at the Centers for Disease Control. Dengue fever is caused by four virus strains spread by the mosquito Aedes aegypti. (Photo Credit: James Gathany/University of Notre Dame).

“Dengue represents an important public health issue in many tropical areas, leading to high morbidity and the employment of substantial health resources. Even though the number of fatalities related to dengue is unknown, several reports warn about the potential occurrence of severe infections and even death. The clinical spectrum of dengue is highly variable, ranging from a mild flu-like syndrome to severe disease, with shock and hemorrhage. The occurrence of bacterial superinfection, or coinfection, in patients with dengue has been noted by some authors, but the available information comes from anecdotic reports. In this study, we show the clinical and anatomopathological data of a patient infected with dengue, who subsequently died of acute multi-organic failure related to Staphylococcus aureus infection. The autopsy revealed a severe disseminated staphylococcal disease and confirmed dengue infection.”

United States

The National Weather Service (NWS) has issued dozens of Warnings, Watches and Advisories as cold, arctic air continues to spread across the Upper Midwest and northern and central Plains through Tuesday, plunging temperatures as much as 30 degrees (F) below normal.

Landslide kills or injures dozens, leaves scores missing

A major landslide buried a village in central Java, Indonesia, killing or injuring dozens of people, leaving score of of others missing and forcing hundreds to evacuate the area.

At least 17 corpses have so far been recovered. The rescuers found 15 victims alive, 11 of whom have been seriously injured. Scores of others are reportedly missing after Friday’s landslide which occurred after an extreme rain event pounded Banjarnegara district in central Java, said officials.

Indonesia: Continued flooding affected multiple Provinces

Flooding continued across Indonesia affecting tens of thousands of people acros Aceh, Banten, Central Sulawesi, West Java and West Sumatra Provinces.

Floods triggered 17 landslides across North Sumatra, West Sumatra, Central Java, West Java and East Kalimantan Provinces, killing at least five people, leaving hundreds of others displaced and damaging/ inundation thousands of houses.

Viet Nam

Tropical Depression SINLAKU strengthened over the South China Seas bringing heavy rains, high winds and widespread flooding to the east-coast provinces of Binh Dinh and Phu Yen.

Water rationing enforced as thousands of wildfires plague Malaysia

The state of Selangor, Malaysia’s wealthiest state, began water rationing on Tuesday as their reservoirs dipped to critically low levels.

“We pledge that every consumer will receive water, but it will be rationed to ensure supply every two days,” the state chief minister was reported as saying.

“In a week, consumers will receive water for four days.”

Meanwhile, authorities revealed more than 7,000 forest and bushfires had been reported throughout the country since early February, five times the normal.

The state of Negeri Sembilan, near the Malaysian capital of Kuala Lumpur, has already declared a “state of crisis” due to water shortage.

“In peninsular Malaysia, 15 areas have not had rainfall in more than 20 days, with some of them dry for more than a month, according to the Malaysian Meteorological Department. The dry weather is expected to run for another two weeks,” reported Reuters.

Singapore

The city-state of Singapore has experienced its longest dry spell on record, between January 13 and February 8, and has received little rain since.

Authorities say the dry weather contributed to the death of fish stocks at offshore aquaculture facilities. More than 160 tons of fish have perished recently due to a lack of oxygen in the water.

Indonesia

Governor of Riau declared a province-wide state of emergency as forest-clearing fires raged out of control due to drought.

Smog caused by record air pollution has enveloped a large region of Sumatra, forcing the pollutants standard index (PSI) to climb to a hazardous 778, and prompting authorities to close schools and urge residents to stay at home.

Forest-Clearing Fires in Indonesia

Many of the fires, started intentionally to clear the forests, have been raging since early February, engulfing forests in six provinces on Sumatra Island.

Smoke rises from a burning forest in Sumatra. Credit: Antara/FB Anggoro. Image may be subject to copyright.

Satellite images showed more than 700 hotspots in Sumatra alone on February 15, nearly twice the number the previous day, with at least 600 of the blazes in Riau Province , said a report.

“We have asked the central government to help with fighting fires by sending aircraft,” said the newly-sworn-in governor of Riau.

RIAU declares a state of emergency amid major forest fires

RIAU declared a province-wide state of emergency amid forest-clearing fires raging out of control due to drought.

Smog caused by record air pollution has enveloped a large region forcing the pollutants standard index (PSI) to climb to a hazardous 778, and prompting authorities to close schools and urge residents to stay at home.

Sumatra volcano in deadly eruption

Mt Sinabung Erupted three times on Saturday leaving at least 14 people dead, including a group of school children from Medan on a science trip, and three others critically injured. Authorities were again forced to evacuate tens of thousands of people from 16 villages from the 5km – 7km exclusion zone near the volcano.

“This is the first direct impact of the Mt. Sinabung eruptions. Before the Saturday incident, the ongoing eruptions have already claimed the lives of 31 evacuees, as a result of various illnesses such as breathing difficulties, depression, asthma and hypertension.” Jakarta Post reported.

Some 14,000 of more than 30,000 evacuees had just been allowed to return home on Friday, following earlier eruptions.

Map of Volcanoes. Background Map: University of Michigan. Designed and enhanced by Fire Earth Blog.Click image to enlarge.

The PVMBG categorizes Sinabung as a type A volcano, or those that have erupted since 1600. Type B volcanoes have not erupted since 1600 but show signs of activity, and type C are those that have not erupted in recorded history.

Indonesian Volcanoes

Indonesian Volcanoes have been responsible for a number of cataclysmic explosions in modern history.

An 1888 lithograph of the 1883 violent explosion of Krakatau.

Based on their models, our colleagues at EDRO forecast that volcanic activity on the island of Sumatra could cause the collapse of Singapore. However, they have not disclosed any further detail.

Mt Sinabung erupted explosively again on November 12, 2013 for a second time in 9 days. Image credit: CRIonLine via Xinhua. More images…

ANTHROPOGENIC HAZARDS
ECOLOGICAL DISASTERS: DEFORESTATION .

Jakarta floods due to ecological disaster: Environment Minister

“The floods that we now face are all a result of an ecological damage. Our ecology has been completely destroyed,” said Environment Minister Balthasar Kambuaya, while visiting the devastated are in Bogor on Monday.

“Everything happens because of human behavior which is not environmentally friendly, especially in Ciliwung, where garbage is being dumped into the river,” he said.

The destruction has occurred upstream area of Ciliwung river that runs through the capital, Jakarta, where flooding has already forced more than 65,000 people to flee their homes.

In the Ciliwung Watershed, the forest coverage has decreased from 9.4 percent in 2000 to 2.3 percent in 2010, or a 400-fold drop in the past 10 years.

Balthasar asserts that the flooding in Jakarta and landslides in nearby areas are caused by the ecological devastation in Ciliwung, including the increasing areas of critical land plagued with high levels of erosion and sedimentation, as well as high fluctuation of water flow between the dry and rainy seasons.

“The rate of ecological damage or environmental degradation in Indonesia year to year has been alarming. It was evident from the decrease in the forest coverage from 49.37 percent in 2008 to 47.73 percent in 2012, or degraded by 1.64 percent within four years,” reported Antara

Balthazar has also blamed the ecological disaster in the area on the locals who dump their waste into the river.

EXTREME CLIMATIC EVENTS CLIMATE-RELATED DISASTERS .

Worsening floods and landslides leave dozens dead and 170,000 people homeless in Indonesia

Extreme Rain Events have triggered more flooding and landslides across the Indonesian archipelago, claiming dozens of lives and leaving at least 170,000 people homeless including the northern coast of Java, various parts of the capital Jakarta and North Sulawesi province.

The total number of people who have lost their homes include

65,000 In Jakarta

85,000 in North Sulawesi province

20,000 on the northern coast of Java

Dozens of people have lost their lives since the latest round of flooding began on January 14.

Meanwhile, the National Disaster Mitigation Agency [BNPB] has warned more rains and flooding could hit the disaster areas over the next few days.

Meanwhile, the casualties and the number of people made homeless by the extreme climatic events continue to rise.

EXTREME CLIMATIC EVENTSCLIMATE-RELATED DISASTERS.

Widespread flooding and landslides have left dozens killed, and tens of thousands displaced in Indonesia

Dozens of people were killed and at least 40,000 others made homeless by severe flash flooding and landslides in eastern Indonesia’s North Sulawesi province, according to reports.

Indonesian Army, the Disaster Mitigation Agency (BPBD) and other organizations have been mobilized to evacuate victims after floods and landslides hit North Sulawesi, affecting multiple districts in several regencies, reported Jakarta post.

Flooding in Jakarta

Meanwhile, widespread flooding triggered by extreme rain events in the Indonesian capital Jakarta has left at least 7 people dead and more than 11,000 homeless, the national disaster agency told Xinhua. Authorities expect more rains worsening the flood situation over the next few days.

Dozens of locations buried under up to 80cm of floodwater since Wednesday , most of which were located in West Jakarta, according to BPBD.

“Jakarta witnessed one of its most devastating disasters when substantial flooding inundated 70 percent of the capital’s land mass in 2007, causing 57 deaths and displacing 450,000,” said a report.

Severe flooding triggered by extreme rain events has inundated the Indonesian capital Jakarta, leaving at least 7 people dead and more than 11,000 displaced, the national disaster agency told Xinhua. Authorities expect more rains worsening the flood situation over the next few days.(Xinhua/Agung Kuncahya B.) More images…

Mount Sinabung Continues to Eject Volcanic Materials into the Air

Some 22,000 people living near Sinabung volcano have been evacuated Since Monday after the volcano erupted in North Sumatra, Indonesia.

The volcano is spewing columns of ash and smoke up to 4.5km above the summit crater, authorities said.

About 22,000 people have been evacuated near Mt Sinabung as the volcano continues to erupt. Mount Sinabung has been ejecting columns of ash and smoke up to 4.5km above the summit crater since Saturday. More than 60 pyroclastic flows extending up to 5 km from the crater have also been recorded. Photo credit: Agung Kuncahya B./Xinhua. More images…

“The National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) has instructed all relevant ministries, government institutions, local disaster mitigation agencies and the Karo regency administration in North Sumatra to prepare for a worst-case scenario following an increase in Mount Sinabung’s volcanic activity during the past week,” said a report.

The “worst-case scenario” comes into if the exclusion zone is extended from its latest 7km radius, southeast slope of the volcano, to between 7.5 and 10 km from the crater.

More than 60 pyroclastic flows extending up to 5 km from the crater have been recorded with the flow volume increasing every day, said The National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB).

The volume of volcanic material ejected so far is about a quarter of the total 2,540,000 cubic meters formed in Mt. Sinabung’s crater. “This means that the pyroclastic potential stored in the volcano’s lava dome is still substantial; so if it should all come out, the threat would be devastating,” Jakarta post quoted an official as saying.

Approximate location of Sinabung is marked on the map by FEWW. Mount Sinabung is one of Indonesia’s 130 active volcanoes

Map of Volcanoes. Background Map: University of Michigan. Designed and enhanced by Fire Earth Blog.Click image to enlarge.

The PVMBG categorizes Sinabung as a type A volcano, or those that have erupted since 1600. Type B volcanoes have not erupted since 1600 but show signs of activity, and type C are those that have not erupted in recorded history.

Indonesian Volcanoes

Indonesian Volcanoes have been responsible for a number of cataclysmic explosions in modern history.

An 1888 lithograph of the 1883 violent explosion of Krakatau.

Based on their models, our colleagues at EDRO forecast that volcanic activity on the island of Sumatra could cause the collapse of Singapore. However, they have not disclosed any further detail.